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August: National Immunization Awareness Month
 In the United States, immunizations, also called vaccinations or vaccines, have reduced or eliminated many diseases that once caused death in infants, children, and adults. You may question the need for vaccines because of concerns about possible side effects, especially in children. However, a decision not to vaccinate puts you and those who you come in contact with at risk of getting a disease that could be dangerous or deadly.
Germs that enter your body can make you sick, such as when you get the flu. Your body naturally responds by creating important defenders or antibodies which:
- fight germs,
- help you get better, and
- protect you from becoming sick again by the same germs.
A vaccine contains a small amount of a live or dead virus that helps your body build the antibodies needed to fight off the disease. Vaccines, like any medication, can cause side effects but are always checked for safety. Vaccines help prevent disease and save lives.
What Vaccines Do You Need?
Take the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s quiz to find out: www2.cdc.gov/nip/adultImmSched
  Vaccines for Pre-Teens:
Information for Parents
As kids get older, the protection provided by some childhood vaccines can begin to wear off. Kids can also develop risks for more diseases as they get older. Help your child transition into adolescence in a healthy way by staying up-to-date on pre-teen vaccines.
Doctors recommend that all 11- and 12-year-olds get the tetanus-diphtheria-acellular pertussis vaccine and the meningococcal conjugate vaccine (MCV4). Girls 11-12 years old should also get the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine. If your child did not get these vaccines at age 11 or 12, schedule an appointment to get them now.
Recommended pre-teen vaccines and some of the diseases they prevent: |
Disease |
Vaccine |
Human Papillomavirus (HPV): HPV is a common virus spread through sexual contact. HPV is most common in people in their teens and early 20s. It is the major cause of cervical cancer in women. |
HPV Vaccine: HPV Vaccine protects against the types of HPV that most commonly cause cervical cancer and genital warts. Ideally girls should get three doses of this vaccine before their first sexual contact. |
Meningococcal Meningitis: Meningitis is a very serious infection of the lining around the brain and spinal cord. It can cause death. |
MCV4 Vaccine: MCV4 protects against meningococcal disease including meningitis. |
Pertussis (Whooping Cough): Whooping cough is highly contagious with prolonged cough. Whooping cough in infants may be life-threatening. |
Tdap Vaccine: Tdap vaccine protects against tetanus, diphtheria, and whooping cough. |
- Where can I get more information on pre-teen vaccines? Ask your child's healthcare provider and visit the CDC's Pre-teen Vaccine Campaign Web site at www.cdc.gov/vaccines/preteen/.
- How can I get help paying for vaccines? Children age 18 and younger may be eligible to get free vaccines through the Vaccines for Children (VFC) program. Visit the VFC Web site at www.cdc.gov/vaccines/programs/vfc/
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Did You Know?
- HPV is the most common sexually transmitted
infection in the United States.
- Meningococcal disease is particularly dangerous because it can progress rapidly and result in death in 48 hours or less.
- Pertussis (whooping cough) cases have increased, with 25,000 cases occurring in 2004. This was the highest number of cases in 40 years.
Sources: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Foundation for Infectious Diseases, National Network for Immunization Information
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